A Final Goodbye
by Becca-Loves-Yuge
Summary: Atem refuses to leave until he and Anzu have closure. One shot. Set pre-ceremonial duel.


Hello, everyone. Here is another pre-ceremonial duel goodbye fic. I really like how this turned out, so please no flames. There is some implied (one-sided) puzzleshipping. And of course, I own nothing.

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**A Final Goodbye**

The gentle sway of the ship rocked most of the occupants into an uneasy sleep. One could only call sleep easy if nightmares or despairing dreams did not taunt them; however, no one's dreams were pleasant that night. Especially for a girl of eighteen. Anzu Mazaki lay curled in the bed provided for her in the fetal position. Sleep eluded her and even when she found herself on the verge of going into the arms of deep slumber, his face would flash before her mind's eye and she would throw herself into a sitting position, panting heavily. After almost two hours of this ritual, she gave up on sleep, deciding instead to peer out the window and watch the full moon sail by high in the sky.

She had cried once or twice since leaving Yuugi's room, but now no more tears would come. Her face was left with the salty residue of dried tears and despite her crying, the weight on her heart was still heavy. She hugged a plush of Dark Magician tighter to her chest in an attempt to feel less miserably alone. Her sapphire eyes traveled to rest on the said plush. A small smile cracked across her lips. She had replaced her Dark Magician Girl plush with the male version a few weeks ago. Keeping the child's toy with her was a calming, albeit temporary, fix to her problem. She would much rather have the magician's wielder in her arms instead.

With a small cry of sadness, she twisted her head to bury it further in her pillows, squeezing her eyes shut. She hadn't even been allowed to say goodbye. She felt her heart give a painful thump. _Thump. Thump. Atem. Thump._

She opened her eyes slowly and rolled onto her back. She should have just told Yuugi she wished to see Atem instead of lying to him. She sat up slowly and her itchy, hotel standard blanket fell to pool around her hips. Her hands tightened on the fabric. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. How where they just supposed to pick up with their lives the way it had been almost four years ago? After everything Atem had brought into their lives, they were just supposed to wave goodbye? She flinched. Before him, she had never felt what it was like to love someone outside of her family. She had never had a reason to try to look pretty. She had never wanted to impress someone before. He gave her a reason to step out of her comfort zone and travel the world. She had always _said _she had wanted to be a dancer, but seeing him constantly pursue his goal of finding his identity had been the extra push to send audition tapes out to America companies instead of waiting to hear from scouts after community productions.

One more lone tear escaped her eye and she rubbed it away. There really was no sense in crying over the matter. There was nothing she could do to change the events of the future. She would just have to slap a smile onto her face and follow them down to the tablet, to the doors that would take him away. She would just have to give a little wave and a wink to him as he…as he…walked out of her life forever.

A tremor rocked her body as her heart gave another painful blow. Maybe…this is what it felt like…when a heart broke. She raised a hand to her chest and clutched the material of her shirt that lay over her heart. Another smack against her rib cage.

Maybe, once they returned home she could go to the doctor and ask him to preform laser surgery on her brain and erase Atem from her memory. Maybe if she could forget, it wouldn't hurt so badly.

But…She knew it was futile. She could not just forget or erase him from her life. He was there, forever stamped on her heart like a branding.

_Thump. Thump._

She slowly turned her face towards the door. That hadn't been her chest that time. Someone was knocking on her door.

_Thump. _"Anzu?" A deep, sultry, baritone voice called out to her.

Her heart beat faster, like a hummingbird's wings. "Just…one minute," she managed out as she rubbed her face, desperate to make it appear as if she did not have a tear stained appearance. Though, it seemed as if _he _would not wait a minute more. The knob twisted and the door opened. Anzu's hands slowly dropped from her face to her lap, where they sat useless.

He stared at her with those sharp, glinting eyes of freshly shed blood. "Yuugi did not tell me you came to him, but I felt your presence earlier tonight. Does something trouble you?" He stepped further into the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Thankful for the darkness that hid her blush; she looked down and shook her head. "N-no. I just wanted to say goodbye is all."

She barely heard him move across the carpeted floor before he sat at the foot of her bed, watching her. Anzu turned her face back up to better see him and her blush darkened. Before, her bed had felt small, now it felt incredible tiny. They were so close…Her heart gave another painful lurch.

The scrutiny of his eyes caused her to look away. "So, um, bye…Atem." Speaking his name aloud brought a gasp from her lips and she brought her eyes back to look into his own. It was the first time they had been alone since returning from the past. Her hands fisted and unfisted on her blanket.

Atem blinked slowly. "Very well. It was…pleasant to meet you in this life, Anzu-chan. I can never wholly thank you for your help in finding the answers to my clouded past. I am much obliged. Perhaps we shall meet again in the next life?"

Shyly, she scooted a little closer. "That doesn't sound much like a goodbye, Pharaoh," she pointed out.

Atem looked away. "If it is a final farewell you are searching for, then so be it." His eyes captured hers once more. "Goodbye, Anzu," he said simply.

Anzu frowned. "I liked the other one better."

Atem chuckled and her heart melted. She loved the sound of his laugh. Heck, she just loved the sound of his voice. "I somehow figured you would. You aren't the type to give a final goodbye."

She tilted her head, curious as to why he was here, sitting on her bed in the middle of the night. "Why did you come here? I mean, surely you have to prepare for tomorrow." She noticed the glowing light of the digital clock. "Erm, or later today, actually." Today. The thought drew a sigh from her before she could clamp her mouth shut.

"That is why I am here. I feel as if we need some form of closure before I depart. Otherwise, I fear _you _might haunt _me _in the After Life." Atem grinned at his attempt at a joke.

She snorted. "You really have spent too much time with Jounouchi. And," she raised a brow. "What do you mean we need closure?"

Without looking away from her, he reached his into the pocket of his blue uniform pants. He removed something and held it out for her to see. She curiously gazed at the familiar game. "The Lovely Two?" She asked him.

His face was free of emotion. "I know that it didn't beep for Yuugi."

She was taken off guard by the way this conversation was going. "Yeah, so? It's just a silly game that..." She looked down and mumbled, "That silly girls play."

She felt his long fingers slid under her chin and tilt her face up. "I think that is 'silly game' encouraged a not so silly girl into thinking something."

"Thinking what?" A part of her was scared to know.

His hand moved upwards to stroke her cheek once before he retreated his hand. He placed the game on the bed next time him before he finally sighed. "Anzu, you were never meant to be my friend. You are Yuugi's friend."

She shook her head and insisted, "But, I'm your friend, too!"

His eyes cut through the darkness and seemed to glow in the silver radiance of the moonlight from her window. "And I do consider you to be a close friend, Anzu. However, my presence in this time has altered the events of this time."

She was…confused. "Um, wasn't that supposed to happen? Wasn't that good for mankind?"

"For mankind perhaps," he admitted. "However, not for you or Yuugi to an extent."

She was never good with riddles. "Okay. I admit it. I'm confused. What are you getting at?"

Atem stood and paced away from her bed. "You are aware that Yuugi at one time harbored feelings for you, correct?" He kept his back to her.

She pulled her blanket away from her legs and stood as well, moving halfway towards him. Her fingers twitched at her sides. "Used to? I thought…"

"There is…someone else that he now holds affection for."

She looked away with her eyes. "Do I know…this person?"

Anzu's attention returned to him when he turned to face her. "Do you really have to ask?"

She swallowed and licked her lips. "Well…where does this leave us?" She thought she preferred being curled up alone in her bed with a plush of his favorite monster. This conversation was quickly heading towards a monster of emotions she was not prepared to face.

"Yuugi never intended to hurt you when he turned you away earlier tonight." Atem informed her.

Her lip twitched and stamped her foot. "Will you just _please _get to the point?"

Atem's eyes widened to some extent at her sudden outburst. She rarely took her temper out on him. "My point is that given the choice between you and Yuugi…I love Yuugi as I would a brother."

She averted her eyes once more and began to ring her hands. Was he telling her what she thought he was? "Pharaoh, I am-"

Her words were cut off as his smooth lips pressed against hers. Her eyes fluttered shut and she pressed herself against him. Their lips matched as they glided across the others. An occasional smack would fill the air followed by a gasp of heated air. His nose rubbed against hers once or twice and it was a ticklish feeling. Warmth spread from the dancer's lips to pool in her lower belly, twisting it and causing her to grind once against his hips as she buried her hands into his tri-colored hair.

His hands anchored onto her waist and she gasped and tiled her head back as he roughly ground his own hips back against hers. Atem took that moment to rip his wet lips from her mouth to attach them to her neck. She tiled her head farther back to allow him more access as he pulled the tender flesh between his teeth. Her plump breasts pressed further against his flatter, toned chest.

"Oh, gods, Atem," she breathed. Her eyes opened in half-lidded pleasure. She wanted him. Badly.

His hands moved from her waist to the hem of her Domino High t-shirt. He slowly slipped one hand underneath to feel the creamy smoothness of her belly. "I want you," he whispered huskily.

Her eyes were beginning to glaze over with lust as she stared into his demon eyes. "I want you, too," she whispered.

He pressed a chaste kiss to her swollen lips and his hand retreated from her shirt. She pulled him closer, knowing what he was doing. "No, please, Atem! Let me feel this!" She cried. "I want to memorize every last detail about you! Please!"

Her heart pounded with nervousness as he pried her arms away. "I understand, Anzu," he said as he took a step away. His eyes raked across her body and he gave a shuddering breath. He had known from the beginning that Anzu was a beautiful girl, but now…Now that she stood before him, completely willing to give herself to him, he found her unbearably stunning. "Believe me," he said with a slight raise of his brows.

She moved closer to him, wanting to feel his warmth once more. "Then please don't stop! I love you! And didn't you just say you loved me, too!" She spread her arms about her to indicate the room. "In every sucky romance movie I've seen, the guy and the girl _always _make love before the guy leaves. And Atem," her hand cupped his face. "You're leaving." She shook her head. "I'm not ready for it. It feels like I'm just getting to know you!"

He placed his hand over hers and twisted his head so that he could press his lips against her palm. "Yes, love. It does seem that way, doesn't it? Unfortunately," With his free hand, he cupped his puzzle. "This is not my body."

It felt like a blow to the gut as Anzu remembered that small, important detail. She had gotten so used to the fact that Atem was his own person and after the past few hours of him and Yuugi having their own bodies, quite frankly, she had forgotten that in this world, they shared one body. It would be wrong to do something like that without Yuugi's permission. And for all she knew, doing so would take away Yuugi's virginity. "Oh," she mouthed.

He brought his hand upwards to cup her face. He kissed her softly. This time, it held less passion and more love and gentleness. A twinge of sadness filled her as she realized he was kissing her goodbye this time. He pulled away after a moment and rested his forehead against hers. Their eyes clashed.

"I will never forget you," he promised lowly.

She smiled and vowed, "And you will always have a place in my heart."

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End.

Thank you for reading and if you're sweet enough to leave a review, please no flames.

~MutantEnemy101


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